


A Druid's Vengeance

by Silver Trinket (Zesraer)



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Chaotic Evil Decline, Death And Madness Gods Aren't Great For One's Sanity, Elitist Nobility, God Induced Madness, Hanahaki Disease, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nobility Are Assholes, One Sided Attraction, Other, Possessive Attraction, Post Mental Break, Something About The Road To Hell And Good Intentions, This Is How That Road Could End, This Is Not How We Deal With Trauma, Vain's Villains Scriptures, Vain's Villains Writing Prompt February 2021, Vengeance Crazed Madness, Vines, druid, vengeance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29639961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zesraer/pseuds/Silver%20Trinket
Summary: The potential result of a decline into madness in my vengeance driven druid.  She is currently in a campaign that has her brushing up against two evil gods on a regular basis and doesn't have the most stable mental health currently.
Relationships: Original D&D Character(s)/Original D&D Character(s), Original Dungeons & Dragons Character(s) & Original Dungeons & Dragons Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	A Druid's Vengeance

Silver Eyes looks back at her party with hard eyes, challenging them to stop her from what she is about to do. As one member steps forward, she snarls. A low reverberating warning. One never used against the party, one not meant to be used against allies. "Challenge me here and I will kill you, comrades in arms or no." She frowns her eyes turning to another of the party, a female teifling. Her gaze softens for a moment, "Don't make me hurt you. We've had common goals for so long. I let you have your fight, didn't ask when you went off on your own to track down that man." Silver Eyes stiffens at a noise in the room behind her, a shout of desperation and then glares at each member of the party, daring one to step forward. "This is my fight, they.... they made their beds a decade ago. No other needs to fall here but if you raise a hand against me, I will call forth every ounce of magic in my possession to stop you." she begins to walk backwards slowly, not removing her gaze from the others. The smallest member steps forward, a hopeful look on her face. Silver Eyes gives a tch of disapproval. "No, this is my kill not yours. But I promise to you and your goddess that they will die afraid and gasping. A good death yes?" The small tortle nods but seems disheartened, other figures step forward as if to stop Silver Eyes, finally realizing the sins she intends to commit in a matter of minutes. Her eyes flash dangerously, "So help me I will drive you all mad if you don't back away this second! I will not have anyone save them, not friends, not lovers, not gods!" With that she doesn't give the party a chance to respond, instead words tumble from her lips in a hissing language as her hands form strange gestures. Seconds later a whirlwind whips her hair gently before slamming into the party and then they feel their ties holding them the earth loosen and fail. Each slams into the ceiling above as gravity's hold fails. "I advise you don't move too much, for now that ceiling holds you but I would not recommend moving much just in case it fails. You all could float away and coming down isn't easy unless you all can fly." She grimaces, unhappy to use a spell on friends but quickly rushes into the room behind her, her party handled for the moment.

Inside, three figures are alert. They don't cower but Silver Eyes does see fear in their features and stance. She knew that feeling, couldn't help but hold that against them. How often had their actions resulted in her feeling fear's bite, the metallic and bitter taste of adrenaline on her tongue? They had made her this, so now it is time for them to see exactly the monster she had become. What they and theirs had molded into being. Two men and a woman, all quick to their feet and turning to face her in confusion. Silver Eyes pushes down her rage and gives a smile, warm almost until you meet her eyes, which are cold as death.

“Zzephrie?” It is Aureo who recognizes her first and he lowers the blade he had drawn as a reaction. It doesn’t surprise Silver Eyes in the least. She easily remembers his eyes lingering on her form all those years ago. Remembers when his interest changed from being childhood friends to something far more sinister. “Zzephrie, why are you here? We are under attack; someone has been killing our guards.” He is stopped from saying more by his mother who pushes him behind her.

She hisses at her son, “Can’t you see? This traitorous whore led the killers here. She is the one who gave them intimate knowledge of our home. After all we did for her.” As she does this, the father, Fausto, points his blade at Silver Eyes' throat. Cierra, the matriarch, ushers her son back to the safety of the far side of the room. She looks at Silver with disgust, "So the whore returns. What are you here for Zzephrie? You thought some rogues could come and what? Rob us? After everything we.... everything I did for you? Biting the hand that fed you for so many years like the animal you are. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, one cannot account for breeding after all. Any you grew up so uncivilized." Silver Eyes' fake smile turns into a snarl, fangs bared at the comments. "Unhappy when confronted with the truth child? I see I made the right choice when I threw you out, a failure at being a proper lady. You are positively feral, look how much the beast rises to the surface."

The Fausto raises a hand to silence his wife. "Zzephrie is this true? Did you really return to harm us? To hurt us, after we _loved_ you." Silver Eye's snarl takes a deeper twist as the realization hits. Cierra didn't just hate her because she held the woman's son's heart. Not she hated Silver because the shifter held her husband's as well. In an instant hundreds of memories that once had been at least slightly sweet, now sour. And Silver can't keep the mad glee from bubbling in her chest, her planned vengeance will be so much sweeter now. "Zzephrie, please. It's not too late. We can help you, I... ehm... Aureo never stopped looking for you. You can lead a comfortable life once again. Not as a wife of course, not after disappearing nor with your breeding but as an exotic mistress perhaps. If you are willing to relearn to be civil."

Silver Eyes finds her voice among the bubbles in her chest, and it bursts forth with anger. "You mean as a pet once again Fausto? That girl died on the streets long ago. I am no bird to be cage nor a dog to be collared. I could have been a Lady, would have willingly done it for the Blackwood family once, but instead you threw me away. So I learned from the streets, in all their harshness and violence." Silver leans into the blade at her throat, the tip biting into her flesh and blood beading against the silver metal and pale skin. "Can you tame the animal I have become now that I'm unshackled? Better men than you have tried, more deserving ones." Her voice is sickly sweet, taunting in an almost flirting manner. The blade is of no consequence to her, and Fausto quickly lowers it in concern as she continues to press forward to close the distance between them. Once the blade is removed, Silver Eyes closes the distance in a second, her hands tracing the man's shoulders and chest. Inside she pushes down her own disgust and coyly looks over her current mark's shoulder to the seething woman behind him as well as the jealous young man. "Do you want to play too, I'm sure Father won't mind too much, will you Fausto?" She slips away from him, silent as shadow. Salters towards Aureo with catlike footfalls. Dancing around Cierra, she reaches Aureo and caresses his cheek with a single finger. "Would you like that, I can see it in your eyes just how much you have longed to play with me."

Silver Eyes is pulled back, her lingering claw leaving a bright red line on Aureo's cheek. He gasps in pain as Silver Eyes is forced to meet the gaze of Cierra. The two glare at one another for a few moments before a slap rings out, pain burning across Silver's cheek. "You dirty whore, get out of my house and leave my husband and son in peace. Take your succubus ways and go back to whatever hell you crawled from. Fausto, Aureo stop falling for her lies. Do you forget about the danger at our doorstep, danger brought by this harlot?"

The saccharine smile falls from Silver Eyes' features and her eyes darken as she raises a hand to her cheek as if to make sure the pain is real. Her eyes narrow and she surveys the three surrounding her. One looks upon her with hate, two with lust. She is not sure which angers her more. At this newest surge of anger, and the fear the rises unbidden at a pain that calls back to too many experiences of her past, something inside snaps. The dam holding back the madness breaks. The pain comes back, the hurt, the loneliness and fear. She is not an archdruid standing before them, nor the confident courtesan, instead the crying child is in the room at this moment. And in the depths of her mind, another crying child takes her hand and promises to make those who had hurt her hurt even more. To make them burn with the pain they had given her and then erase their names from the minds of existence. Another entity watches and shudders in fear, as something dark and primal is released.

“Play time’s over.” Silver Eyes doesn't recognize the coldness in her own voice, perhaps the other crying child is speaking. "I thought maybe... maybe this wasn't going to happen. But I now see that was madness. The Blackwoods will never change, and it is my duty to burn their madness from this place. Zzephrie was a cage that I was fooled into believing was safety. Another poisoned lie from your lips, designed to keep the dragon sleeping. What will you do now that she is awake?" For a moment, it appears as though the druid is about to shift. The small scales decorating her skin turn a dusky rose hue before settling back to opal as the madness seizes her again. Instead a different transformation takes place, silver eyes turn black as pitch. Black vine like veins snake across her pale skin, living shadows writhing beneath the surface. Strange words hiss from the woman's mouth as she wipes the beaded blood from her throat. Before the Blackwood's very eyes, it shifts into a crimson rose petal, its velvet shape blowing off her thumb and landing between all three before turning to ash. Ash so fine that it is taken into each Blackwood's body with their next breath.

It takes a few moments for each Blackwood’s body to recognize the foreign matter within it, about a minute after that for the Blackwoods themselves to realize. It begins with a tickle within their throats. Nothing too concerning. At least until that tickle turns to pain as the disease takes hold. Silver Eyes smiles ferally, madness in her eyes as she watches the horror creep across her once abusers’ faces. Their lungs freeze in panic as they try to restrain the urge to cough and fight the tickle for fear of inhaling more contagion. 

Within each of the afflicted bodies, a rapid period of growth is taking place. Vines coil around vital organs, their thorns biting deep and forcing coughs. When the air bursts forth from the Blackwoods’ mouths, it is accompanied by countless petals and flowers. Delicate full blooms of lime white hydrangeas erupt from their mouths, impossible in their size. Beside them brilliant red anemone petals tumble from lips, vivid as the bright red splattering of blood that accompanies the blooms. As each victim's legs give way beneath the coughs and confusion, Silver Eyes moves out of the way of their grasping hands in disgust. She steps over the fallen forms of Fausto and Aureo as she walks toward Cierra, her gait slow. She knows they can do very little due to the involuntary responses of their bodies. "Do you like my little curse?" She kneels, crushing blooms as she once again looks into the eyes of Cierra. This time they are desperate instead of defiant, pleading for help. But then shame takes over and Cierra jerks her eyes away before losing herself in another fit of coughing.

Silver Eyes cups the woman’s cheek with one hand, forcing Cierra to look into her hard eyes. “It is a pity, that you and yours killed any remaining love in my heart. Maybe I could save you if you hadn’t. Maybe I wouldn’t have brought this disease to your door now. Maybe if you had punished your husband for having unfaithful thoughts about a **CHILD** , instead of tossing her out on the street. But no, you… you taught me that love was even more of a weakness than even the slavers had lead me to believe. And you taught me how to weaponized that weakness in others. Well now look at the blade you created, as you die by it.”

“Let it be known, to Gods and mortals that your line dies not in battle nor in the noble service to your king. No your line dies to its own folly and in the pain of a broken heart. To the seeds they had sown long ago,” Silver chuckles darkly at how quite literal that had turned out. “Too bad that you weren’t faithful Fausto, then at least you and your wife could be saved here. I can do nothing for your son and his lost hope of childhood romance. That girl you fell in love with Aureo, she died years ago. You can thank mommy and daddy dearest for killing her innocence. Forced on to the streets, and using the only thing she knew she had of value. Her exoticness. I learned to profit from that and I was happy. Then someone decided to put me on a path joined to that of a certain god. I don't know who but I have my suspicions some of those in this room may have had a hand. Even if not, it was that path that woke the dragon before you. Created a monster of great and terrible beauty. Now learn what the cost of that creation is. The Blackwoods shall burn until there is nothing left but ash. And I shall see your names forgotten but your tale of folly and cruelty remembered for all eternity. And best of all, I will survive. Not as that horrible slave name I was given. Not as Zzephrie. As Silver Eyes, as the dragon who could not be caged, whose wings were broken but whose claws were sharp.”

Silver Eyes gives a sad chuckle at that and clenches her fist. Inside the vines twist tighter, forcing more air from the lungs of the collected family. Briars tear into soft flesh and curl around ribs as they grow further. This time more blood than flowers comes up with each cough but instead of the bright blooms of earlier it is accompanied by roses with full velvety petals of darkest black. Silver gently touches one with a finger, stroking it just to see if it felt as soft as it looked. The petal is sticky with blood, just like its many companions. Her finger comes away covered in dark arterial viscera. The madness of the crying child possesses her and she licks it from her finger, giving into animalistic urges. The blood is metallic but somehow sweet. Distantly a blood goddess chuckles and pays closer attention. Silver Eyes is ignorant to this as she continues to watch those who tormented her for so long suffer as they cough up countless petals and blood. The heavy scent reminds her of a different time, someone else's blood and her stomach twists. Is it guilt? No, that was different blood. For one it was cold, for another she had loved the one it belonged to. Her actions here were just, no need for guilt or pity. They deserved this.

As the last coughs slowly die, Silver Eyes steps from the room. All too soon the house falls to silence, the only evidence of any beings besides the Blackwoods being there are bloody footprints disappearing into the night. A party follows silent, giving one member plenty of space. The trust has been broken once more and they are not sure of the monster they house within their ranks. Within the house, deep crimson slowly cools among the rich carpets, brilliant petals marred with almost black splatters. And in each pool created by the final gasping coughs of the Blackwood lineage, single purple hyacinth petals rest. Small and torn, yet pure against the large final black roses, blood splattered hydrangea and anemone blooms and gore of their surroundings.

The manor stands lonely and still, the last words of its final guest echoing like a ghost through its halls, “I am finally free."


End file.
